Protoman Criminal
by Shourukasai Rauc
Summary: Protoman is on the run from the law. Why would Protoman kill someone when he has helped Mega Man? There is violence in this story, but no language, nor adult themes.
1. Killer Blues?

**I do not own Mega Man or any of it's characters.**

**January, 11, 20XX**

**Codename: Blues**

**Condition: On the Run**

Through the dark, snowy city streets, a lone figure ran. Sounds of sirens could be heard everywhere.

Protoman stopped to catch his breath, "It wasn't me! I didn't try to kill him!" he thought frantically in his mind. Upon hearing the police dogs hot on his tracks, he started running again.

* * *

><p>At home, Roll was tidying Dr. Light's lab, getting it clean for his next robot creation. Just as she was about ready to get Dr. Light, Mega Man, holding Rush's ball in his hand, with Rush close by him, ran in there. "MEGA!" Roll had just managed to say before Mega Man had crashed into a mobile toolbox, scattering tools all over the place and knocking down the toolbox. Mega Man, on the other hand, was found on his back, stunned from his fall. Rush happily grabbed his ball, lied down, and chewed on it.<p>

"What have I told you about crashing around here?" Roll yelled angrily. "Time and time again..." She stopped in her sentence to see Mega Man staring at her with his big blue eyes with his hands in between his knees.

Roll smiled. She walked toward him and ruffled his black hair. "Aw, I could never stay mad at you." Mega Man gave a huge grin. "Not with a face like that," Roll laughed.

"Roll!" Dr. Light exclaimed from another room.

Roll hurried to Dr. Light, fearing that the doctor was being kidnaped by Dr. Wily again.

She found him in the TV room with the news channel on. "What is it Dr. Light?" She asked.

"Look."

Roll looked at the TV, where a news reporter was talking about a murder. "The criminal has fled the scene, but police forces are on his trail. An anonymous phone call identifies the culprit as the one called Protoman." Roll gasped in shock. "Roads are being blockaded to prevent Protoman from escaping while SWAT troops are being called to hunt him down. Up next –" Dr. Light turned off the TV.

"My first creation. Gone amok?" He looked at Mega Man, who was peering in the room. "How can this be Mega? He's helped you in times of peril, and now he kills someone?"

Mega Man looked down at the floor. "This isn't right," he thought. "Blues wouldn't do that. He can't." Mega Man looked up at Dr. Light, "Shall I go look for him?" Dr. Light looked at Mega Man with a troubled expression.

"I don't know Mega. After this..." He motioned toward the TV, "I just can't trust him."

Roll piped in, "I don't think Blues would do that. I think this is a set up by Dr. Wily."

Dr. Light thought for a moment, "Yes. There really is only one person that would do this and that's Dr. Wily."

Please Read and Review!

(No swearing allowed; give constructive advice)

(2nd Fanfic done)


	2. Truth is Told

**In an underground lab**

"Bwah, ha ha! My plan is working!" said a voice with a german accent.

"Did I do good?" a high-pitched voice asked.

"Yes, you did," Dr. Wily replied, "But I did better!"

Time man lowered his head in disappointment.

"I was the one that formulated the plan, you idiot!" Dr. Wily said angrily, "What are you doing just standing there? GET TO WORK!"

Time man quickly left the room.

"Augh. I can't stand these simpletons." Dr. Wily walked over to his lab table, where a robot's frame was. "It will be a while before I can utilize you, but," he paused and gave a grin, "it will all be worth it! I'll be able to kill Mega Man once and for all!"

"Doctor?" another high-pitched voice asked.

Dr. Wily turned around with his eyes large with anger, but then changed his expression after noticing who it was. "Ah, Elec Man. What is it?"

Elec Man looked inquiringly at him. "What exactly is your plan?"

Dr. Wily especially liked Elec Man, esteeming him as the best of his robots.

"I'll tell you." Elec Man lighted up. "While you do your work."

Elec Man's face drooped but said, "All right."

While Elec Man brought in electronics, Dr. Wily told him his plan: "We are executing step one of my plan. Getting rid of Protoman."

"Why's that?" Elec Man asked, looking up at his creator.

"Who's the one that always pulls Mega Man out of a jam?"

"Protoman." Elec Man replied.

"Exactly! Get rid of Protoman, and no one else can pull Mega Man out of my next big attack."

"What's step two?"

"You'll find out when I execute it." Dr. Wily said.

It was still dark outside, but Mega Man just had to find Protoman and get to the bottom of this.

He followed the sound of the police sirens and dogs on his Rush Jet. Mega Man was going down a dark alleyway, when he spotted a figure running. "Protoman!" Mega Man yelled. Protoman gave a quick glance behind him and darted off into a sub-alley. Mega Man quickly made a hard left and went down it, just to find that Protoman had vanished. Mega Man gave a quick stop and analyzed the surroundings. He checked behind him and noticed broken glass at a small window in one of the buildings. He hopped off of Rush and went down into the basement with Rush following him in Rush's normal form.

It was dark and cluttered with boxes and it was dusty. "Protoman." Mega Man whispered. Silence prevailed. Mega Man crept forward. "Protoman?" Mega Man felt around the boxes and came to a wall and began to feel his way around it. He encountered a light switch and flipped it on. Light streamed through the room and Mega Man noticed a door that was left ajar. Mega Man went up the stairs that led from the room. "A dead end?" Mega Man cocked his head to the side. "Rush," Rush looked at Mega Man and wagged his tail, "Go see if there's another door downstairs." Rush went back down the stairs. While Rush was checking that out, Mega Man started pushing on the wall. It easily moved, though it only had a small opening to get through. "Rush! I found a way out!" He went out and found himself in an office. He went out the office door and saw that he was in a factory that seemed to construct things through an automated assembly line, though it wasn't running and was quite deserted. "Protoman?" Mega Man yelled.

"You gonna turn me over to the authorities?" A voice completely devoid of emotion echoed.

Mega Man looked around, trying to find out where the voice came from. "I want to know what's going on."

There was no reply for a moment, and then the voice said, "I was going around town, just trying to find out where Dr. Wily was. Then someone attacked me. He went so fast!"

"Shadow Man." Mega Man thought.

"I couldn't stand up against him, so I ran. I hid around a corner. I was going to blast him with my buster. I heard nothing, but felt a tap on my shoulder. I immediately turned and fired..."

There was a long silence, making Mega Man uncomfortable.

"It was a person." Protoman's voice started to break. "I thought that the robot was taunting me, so I fired. I stood in shock for a moment... then I ran. It wasn't my fault."

"I believe you, Protoman," Mega Man replied, "but the authorities don't."

Mega Man could hear the echoes of police dogs howling outside.

"Protoman! Let me help you!" Mega Man yelled.

"I can't endanger you, Mega." Then there was silence.

"Protoman!"

Two minutes later, the police came in. A big, burly policeman walked up to Mega Man.

"Did you see him, son?"

"I don't think he's here anymore." Mega Man replied sadly.

The policeman thought for a moment. "Listen. Just because he's your 'brother', doesn't mean you can let him off the hook." He knelt down, "I know you've got a good heart, but there are times when you can't hesitate in pulling the trigger." He got up and commanded two of his policemen, "You two!" They snapped to attention. "Take this one down to interrogation." Mega Man looked up in surprise. "But sergeant!" Mega Man protested.

"You have the right to remain silent." The sergeant replied dully.

Mega Man stood in shock for a little bit. "Rush Jet!" Rush instantly turned into the Rush Jet, and Mega Man jumped up onto him and flew off, breaking one of the windows of the factory as he went out.

(Constructive advice, anyone?)


	3. Wily's Plan

"It seems that Mega Man is on the run. Is he somehow involved in the murder of Bakskin Collins?"

Dr. Wily's mouth gaped at the TV. "Mega Man is running from the authorities?" He broke out in laughter. "Oh, that is rich!" He got out of his chair. "Elec Man!"

Elec Man hurriedly ran into the room, "What is it, doctor?"

"Elec Man! Execute step two!"

Elec Man started to walk out the door, but stopped and turned around. "But I don't even know what step two is!"

"JUST GO GET THE ROBOT MASTERS!" Dr. Wily yelled.

When they had all assembled, Dr. Wily said, "Now. What my next plan is, is to offer my services in capturing Mega Man and Protoman. At no charge. Time Man."

"Yes, Dr. Wily?"

"You take Shadow Man and infiltrate the police headquarters. I want you to grab the best equipment that you can find. Guts Man, you'll take Napalm Man and Elec Man with you." Dr. Wily looked around. "Blast it! Mega Man!"

"Yes, Dr. Wily?" said a voice from a dark corner startling the doctor.

"I want you to create as much trouble for the REAL Mega Man as you can."

"What should I do?" the voice questioned.

Dr. Wily shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, you know. Framing him. Now go!" He pointed toward the door. "And bring Dark Man with you!"

Mega Man? started to walk out the door when Dr. Wily said, "And tell Dark Man to make himself look like the REAL Protoman."

"I obey." Mega Man? replied.

Dr. Wily looked at the rest of his robot masters. "Hmm. Wood Man, Fire Man, Heat Man, and Plant Man." They looked right at him. "You are going to come in after Guts Man, Napalm Man, and Elec Man trap Mega Man in a corner."

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Wily put his hand on his chin and furrowed his eyebrows. "But how do I find Mega Man?"

"You could follow the policemen." A voice said. Dr. Wily looked around. "Bass? Is that you?"

Bass started from the shadows. "Mega Man is mine. No one else will weaken him. I'll do that myself."

"_Nein_, Bass. Haven't you ever learned." Dr. Wily pointed an accusing finger at him and said slowly, articulating every word, "You. Never. Beat. Mega. Man."

"Hey!" Bass crouched in a fighting position. "That's not my fault! It's you who always gets in my way!"

"Bah! I never should have created you, you insolent robot!"

"I think you created me on accident." Bass growled.

Dr. Wily grinned, putting his hand on his chin again. "Well, now that you say it. You are an accident."

Bass's eyes grew larger.

"While I was constructing you, I accidentally founded the energy, which I called Bassnium." Dr. Wily gave a chuckle. "But I'm developing an new robot. One that can defeat even you, and won't even care."

Bass started to walk away. "Bass!" Dr. Wily yelled, and Bass turned to see Dr. Wily grinning. "Don't come back all broken, cause I may just not fix you."

Bass snarled. "Treble!" Treble, Bass's dog, appeared in the doorway. "Let's go find Mega Man."

* * *

><p>On top of a building, Mega Man looked down at the street below. "Mega Man. What were you thinking!" He whispered to himself. "Why did you run? Why did you run?" Rush came and nuzzled against his hand. Mega Man looked down at Rush and smiled sadly. "Guess I better go to Dr. Light. Maybe he can figure things out."<p>

"Mega Man."

Mega Man turned around and looked at a familiar sight. "Protoman!"

"I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Protoman looked around. "I actually did kill the guy. On purpose."

Mega Man's hands flew to cover his mouth.

Protoman lowered into a fighting stance. "You always were the wimp of the family." He smiled. "I always wanted to take you out."

"Blues. This isn't you!"

"What's the matter, little brother? Afraid to fight me?"

Mega Man switched to his Mega Buster while Rush snarled, ready to attack when Mega Man was.

Protoman fired off the first shot, barely missing Mega Man's arm while Mega Man dodged. Protoman then started to advance while firing off more shots, keeping Mega Man on his toes. Rush launched himself in the air to attack Protoman, but was quickly defeated by a blast to the chest. Mega Man, seizing the opportunity, fired a charge shot, hitting Protoman square on the chest.

Protoman grunted in pain and fell to his knee, supporting himself with his other hand.

"I've also got one more secret, Mega."

Mega Man started charging his buster again. "What's that?" He said in an angry tone.

"... I'm not Protoman." Dark Man launched himself at Mega Man with a plasma blade, but got hit again by Mega Man's charge shot, sending Dark Man rolling on the ground. Dark Man's chest commenced to spit out electricity. Mega Man walked over to Dark Man. "Well. At least it isn't..!" A shot erupted out of Mega Man's stomach, bringing him to his knees.

A laugh emanated from behind him. An evil laugh. "So, I finally get to meet the real me."

Mega Man looked behind him, to find an almost exact duplicate of him. "Who are you?" He asked, teeth clenched in pain.

The robot smiled. "I am more than you ever were."

"Protoman." Mega Man whispered.


	4. Parts Needed

**At the police headquarters**

Wily lead Guts Man, Napalm Man, Elec Man, Time Man, and Shadow Man down to the police station. He was stopped by a pair of policemen. "Wily. What are you doing here?" One of them asked.

"I have come to offer my services."

The policeman looked at him with a questioning look, then looked at the robot masters. "You'll have to leave them out here."

"Of course, of course," Wily turned around, "Now, you stay here." and walked off into the building with two other policemen. Four more police men were sent to look after the robot masters.

"Shadow Man?" Time Man whispered.

"What?"

"Any idea of how to get in?" Time Man questioned.

"I think that when Dr. Wily comes out will be the best time."

Finally, after fifteen minutes, Dr. Wily came back out. After heading a ways, Time Man and Shadow Man broke off from Dr. Wily's group. They walked until they stood across the street from the back of the police HQ.

"How much can you slow down time?" Shadow Man asked.

"Pretty far, but it wears me out."

Shadow Man looked at the building, then looked at Time Man. "Think you can slow time enough that we move incredibly fast and you can hold it there until we get up to the 7th floor?"

Time Man grimaced. "Yes?" he said, unsure.

Shadow Man also grimaced and looked back at the building. "Let's get a rope."

"What for?" Time Man asked inquiringly.

"To tie you onto me."

After a while, they found multiple broken ropes and combined them into one big strong rope. They got back to the police HQ. Shadow Man tied Time Man to his back. "Ready?" he asked.

"I hope so," Time Man replied.

Shadow Man looked hard at the police HQ. "Now!"

Shadow Man started running. Everything seemed to move slowly except him. He dashed across the road, up and over the chain-link/barbed fence, and dashed across the field. "How are you doing, Time?"

"Go!" Time Man said.

Shadow Man ran even faster. When he was within 2 feet of the building, he jumped, and landed with his feet first and started running up the side of it.

"Hurry!" Time Man yelled.

"Almost there!"

Shadow Man reached the 7th floor and quickly went through an open window and crouched on the tile floor of a two-way hall.

"Ha! We made it Time Man!" he whispered, but there was no reply. He looked back. "Time Man?"

Time Man was out cold.

"Blast."

It was only then that Shadow Man started to feel tired.

"I don't need this. Not now," he said and continued onward toward his destination. He found a door, labeled "Select Employees Only!" with a keypad for a lock.

Shadow Man grinned. "I always liked a challenge." He started to analyze the keys, using his built-in black light. "Blast! Someone else has been trying to get in too!" He said under his breath after noticing that almost all of the keys were pressed. He heard a noise causing his eyes to widen. Someone was coming. He looked around for a place to hide. "None!" He whispered and got out three shurikens and a dagger and crouched. Just as two police officers came around the corner, he threw his shurikens at one, ran to and tripped the other one while the police officer looked at his buddy that had just been taken down. Then Shadow Man quickly finished him off with a quick jab. Shadow Man looked around and stood up. After pulling the bodies out of view from the corridor that they came from, Shadow Man went back to the door. He looked more intently at the keypad. "It looks like you have been used more." He then carefully pushed the keys. He finished it and pushed the enter key. There was nothing for a moment, causing Shadow Man to become nervous, then the keypad turned green. Shadow Man breathed a sigh of relief, walked in, and closed the door. He turned around to see a room full of equipment. "Whoa!" He let his jaw drop. "Dr. Wily would feel like he was in heaven with all of this!" There were guns, armor, and most importantly, at least for Shadow Man's mission, electronics and parts.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily started singing the German's Anthem to himself while walking away from the HQ and Fire Man, Wood Man, and Plant Man had joined him. About 5 blocks from the HQ, in an alley, Dr. Wily stopped in his tracks, and slapped himself on the forehead. "<em>Nein!<em> What are you doing?" He asked himself. "Guts Man! Bring the Skull Truck!"

"Right-o!" Guts Man opened a part of his arm and dialed on a keypad. "Estimate to arrival... At what speed, doctor?"

"FULL SPEED!" Dr. Wily exclaimed.

"Estimate to arrival... 10 minutes."

"10 minutes!" Dr. Wily yelled. "I don't have that much time! Shadow Man doesn't have that much time!"

Guts Man recoiled in fear, separating himself from Wily by putting his hands in front of him. "It's not my fault!"

Dr. Wily turned to Elec Man. "Go help Shadow Man!"

"But I'll be seen!"

"I don't care anymore! This mission can't fail!" He yelled.

* * *

><p>Shadow Man started to pick through the equipment. "Well, let's see. Dr. Wily needs eyes, a processor, a generator..." and he started bringing stuff next to the door. As he was doing this, he heard footsteps. He quietly put down his stuff. "Come on, just pass, just go on your way." But the footsteps stopped right in front of his door. Shadow Man quickly ran to the nearest gun. "Hmm. This is a machine gun, right?" He quickly set the big gun on the floor and loaded it with a belt cartridge. The door flung open, but no one was there. Shadow Man scanned the doorway for signs of movement. "Wait a minute." He thought, then he leapt to his feet and took cover behind some equipment, just as someone started to fire at him with a handheld machine gun. Underneath the din of the gun fire, Shadow Man opened his com link. "Doctor!" He yelled. "I'm under fire! Send help!"<p>

"That's what I'm doing, you idiot! Do you think I would let this mission fail? Where are you!"

"7th floor!"

Shadow Man pulled out three of his shurikens and threw them at three different individuals, killing one, hitting another in the arm, and another just grazing his temple. Shadow Man leapt to his feet and started throwing a flurry of shurikens at the different people that came through the door. He moved across the room until he arrived behind some more equipment. He took a peek over the equipment and could see a person behind the door yelling through his com link. "Blast!" He breathed deeply, stood and threw a shuriken, nailing the person in the chest by curving the shuriken in an arc. There were still three more people behind the door, but they weren't firing anymore. Shadow man looked over the top of the equipment that he was behind, shurikens in his hands. One of the policemen popped around the corner and fired a burst of gunfire. Shadow Man quickly ducked down. "I can't handle these guys."

"Did you know that you're squishing me?" Time Man asked, startling Shadow Man.

"Sorry about that." Shadow Man looked back over the equipment and threw a shuriken at one of the policemen that was trying to sneak up on him, killing him. Shadow Man stood up and started to charge toward the door, doing his best to dodge the barrage of fire. He jumped through the threshold and threw two shurikens at the two people at either end of the door, making them drop to the ground. He executed a flip in the air and landed on his feet. "Ha, ha!" He exulted, then dropped to his knees, cringing in pain from a bullet in the stomach. A sniper walked toward him. "So. Dr. Wily isn't rehabilitated after all." He aimed his gun toward Shadow Man's head. "End of the line, Shadow Man!" Shadow Man resigned himself to his fate, but the wall exploded, slamming the sniper into the other wall.

"Shadow Man!" Dr. Wily yelled.

Shadow Man struggled to get to his feet and limp over to the shattered wall. He saw an armored truck, which had the image of a skull on front, with a machine gun on the back with a rocket launcher on the hood.

"What about the stuff?" Shadow Man yelled.

"Guts Man! Get up there!"

Guts Man ran to the wall, with Elec Man and Fire Man on his back, and started to climb up. While Shadow Man waited for Guts Man to get up, a bullet whizzed by Shadow Man's head. He turned around to face his enemy, but received a volley of bullets, causing him to land on Time Man. Guts Man got to the 7th floor, looked at the police officers who were scared by his presence, looked at Shadow Man, then tossed Shadow Man down to where Napalm Man waited. Elec Man released a volley of electricity, bringing an officer to his knees while the rest retreated. Guts Man looked to where the officers were. He grinned in delight, "And Bass calls himself the ultimate robot!" He walked to the door while Elec Man and Fire Man stood guard, grabbed the equipment, and walked back out. He stopped at the wall's edge.

"GUTS MAN!" Elec Man yelled while firing a volley of electricity at a police officer who had tossed a grenade around the corner. Fire Man started running toward the police officer, fire blazing in front of him. The explosion from the grenade, which had exploded right by Guts Man, caused him to fall out of the broken wall to the ground, hitting the ground with a heavy thump, but he had twisted in midair, making him land on his back, keeping the bigger pieces of equipment safe from damage. Elec Man ran down the hallway, opposite of where the officers were, only to find that other police officers were coming from the other end. He quickly turned and ran back from where he came from, receiving a bullet to the chest.

"No. This can't happen," Elec Man whispered to himself, then he crumpled on the floor.

Fire Man, in his attack, had rounded the corner where some officers were coming down the hall. Soon after seeing Fire Man, they opened fire, causing Fire Man to stumble.

"Must.. Go... On..." he clenched his teeth in pain. He got back up, only to receive another volley of sniper fire.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Wily," he said. "I've failed you."

Plant Man, who was controlling the rocket launcher on the Skull Truck, noticed a bazooka peeping around the corner of the building. "HEADS UP!" He yelled and fired. Part of the building exploded, killing the officer who had managed to fire off a shot causing the Skull Truck, along with Plant Man and Dr. Wily, to sustain damage. Time Man, meanwhile, was still strapped to Shadow Man's back. Another bazooka shot brought down Napalm Man. The police officers moved in, guns in hand.

"Get Wily out of that truck!" One person shouted. Another found Time Man.

"Hey! We got an undamaged one here!"

Time Man started to charge his time ability. As soon as they let him loose, he slowed down time and ran off.

In an alley, he stopped to catch his breath. "The parts." He thought. "We've failed."

* * *

><p>Please, read and review!<p>

(No swearing allowed!)


	5. Fiendish Plan

Mega Man? returned to Dr. Wily's fortress with Mega Man and Dark Man slung over his shoulders. He entered Dr. Wily's lab, but found it

empty.

"Guts Man? Elec?" he yelled. He then got a fiendish idea. "HEY! ANYONE HERE?" Gyro Man stepped into the lab.

"What is it Mega Man?" he asked.

Mega Man? gave a grin. "Do you like Dr. Wily?"

Gyro Man was startled by this question, but then starting thinking about it. "Well. Not particularly." he said after a while.

Mega Man? got close to him and slung his arm over Gyro Man's shoulder. "What say you that we control this fortress?"

"...Yeah."

"Do all of you like Dr. Wily?" Mega Man? questioned the Robot Masters after they had assembled in the lab.

Knight Man scratched his head while Toad Man croaked. Finally, one voice spoke up. "Well, I don't think any of us like Dr. Wily."

"Who said that?"

Ice Man, who was in the back, climbed up onto Centaur Man's back. "I did." he said, raising his hand.

Mega Man? grinned. "That's good! Let's take Mega Man apart, use his parts, and build the robot that Wily was planning to construct!"

he held up a piece of paper. "I've got the blueprints!"

It wasn't before long that they had Mega Man taken apart, down to where there was only a frame left.

Mega Man? grinned in delight. "I've always wanted to govern the Robot Masters. Now not even Bass can stop me."

* * *

><p>Protoman gaped. Someone had killed Mega Man. He knelt down to where Rush was. "Hmm. Buster shot. Not quite a charged."<p>

Protoman stood up. "Dark Man." he whispered. "I better go tell Dr. Light." He started to walk towards the edge of the building. "No."

he brought out his shield. "I better go save Mega Man!" He dashed across the building, hopped across it to another building that was

two stories shorter. He stopped in his tracks. "Wait!" he thought, slapping his forehead. "I don't even know where Dr. Wily is!" He

looked in the direction of Light Industries. "Maybe I can catch Dr. Light in his office."

Dr. Light was sifting through his files in his office where there were 2 windows. "Now, where'd I put those blueprints?" It was common

for Dr. Light to misplace his files.

"Dr. Light?"

"Protoman?" Dr. Light turned around.

"I need you help, doctor."

Dr. Light raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"I need to find Dr. Wily."

"Why?" Dr. Light asked.

"I can't tell him that Mega Man's dead!" Protoman thought in his mind. "Please. Just tell me where Wily is."

Dr. Light sighed, looking at the ground. "If only I knew."

"But you can find out, right?"

Dr. Light looked up. "Look, Protoman. I'm a genius, but it doesn't mean I know everything. Dr. Wily has had his fortresses all over the

place. In Japan, Florida, the Atlantic, even Death Valley." Dr. Light found his file and sat down in his chair. "I can't help you. Maybe Mega

Man can."

Protoman looked down. "Mega Man's dead."

Dr. Light looked up, startled. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

Protoman's eyes met the doctor's. "I found Rush lying on a rooftop. There was a blast in his chest. I deducted that it was Dark Man that

killed him."

Dr. Light started to break down in tears. "Oh, Mega." he whispered.

Police sirens could be heard approaching to Light Industries, causing Protoman to look anxiously out the window.

"Look, doctor. I didn't kill the guy."

Dr. Light looked at him, and after a pause, "I know. Please, save Mega Man."

Protoman gave a nod and disappeared out the window.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily woke up slowly. He wasn't sure of where he was, but he could tell that he was moving. He shook his head until his<p>

surroundings were more clear.

"Ah. I'm going home." he said with disgust. The prison truck made its way down the streets with 2

armored cars protecting it from the front and behind, along with two tanks. Dr. Wily looked around for his Robot Masters, but found

none of them.

"Hmm, they must have taken them somewhere else." He sat down on one of the chairs that was inside the truck After

what seemed to be an hour to Wily, the someone in the armored car started to fire their gun. Intrigued by this, Dr. Wily moved to a

window that was made from bars. The tank that he could see started to move in behind him, cutting off the armored car that was

having trouble. The firing in the armored car stopped. The man in the turret of the tank got out and climbed onto the armored car. Just

as Dr. Wily could only see the man's head left, he heard a shot that sounded like an energy weapon. Bass quickly jumped out and

quickly jumped again. The man in the other tank's turret started to fire his machine gun, hitting Bass. Bass avoided getting hit more by

executing a double jump followed by a dive, landing on Dr. Wily's prison truck and jumping again. The people driving the truck got out

with fully-automatic weapons and started to fire at Bass. Bass finally managed to strafe at the person in the turret, killing him. Twisting

in the air, he managed to hit one of the truck officers in the leg, causing him to stop his firing while the other hid behind the door of the

truck to reload and call backup. Bass landed on the tank, swung down into it, and finished off the ones inside the tank. The first tank

turned its cannon to level on the tank that Bass was in. It fired, pushing the tank back from the recoil, blasting the other tank's quarter

to large pieces of scrap metal.

Dr. Wily couldn't see anything of what happened to Bass, all's he could hear was the explosion.

"Bass..." he whispered. The tank started to move in the direction of the smouldering tank.

"All right, commander. We may have killed Bass." Dr. Wily could hear one of the officers saying. There was a shot, causing the officer to

fall on the ground, followed by another shot. Dr. Wily grinned.

"Bass is still alive, repeat, Bass is still alive!" the officer with the wounded leg yelled into his comlink before the same thing happened to

him as the previous officer. There was another shot from the tank's cannon, later followed by a shot that sounded like a fully charged

buster shot. Dr. Wily could see Bass from his rear window. He looked pretty beat up. Parts of his armor were missing, some sparks as

well. His helmet was also missing, revealing short, spiky blond hair. Bass spun around, charging another shot. The tank was still

spinning its cannon around. Bass dashed across the battlefield, jumped, and, while he was in midair, he fired a shot into the hatch, then

into the hatch himself. A few more buster shots sounded. Soon, Bass got out of the tank and walked to the back of the prison truck.

Sirens were sounding through the city.

"What took you so long?" Dr. Wily yelled.

Bass looked at him in the eyes, "Would you have preferred I left you in there?"

"Just hurry up and get me out of here!"

"All right. Stand back," Bass said, bringing up his buster. Dr. Wily moved to the side while Bass rapid fired the electronic lock. He then

opened the door and Dr. Wily walked out.

"Where's Treble?" Dr. Wily asked.

Bass looked up, "He's coming."

Treble came down in his Fighter Treble form, a form that has wings like an airplane with weaponry but still resembles a Rush Jet. Bass

stepped on him with Dr. Wily, and quickly took off, leaving the armored vehicles below as well as his helmet.


	6. Reunion

**...Status... Working, but incomplete.**

"_What? Incomplete?"_ Mega Man thought.

**...Connection made with... computer...**

"_Wait. I'm connected to a computer? Am I back at Dr. Light's?"_

Mega Man looked around.

"AHH! HE'S AWAKE!" Someone yelled, "Get him programmed! Now!"

"_Programmed? This isn't Dr. Light's lab!" _Mega Man thought. _"Got to get away!"_

Guts man got in front of Mega Man and held him firmly.

"Let go of me!" Mega Man yelled.

"Elec Man! Begin programming!" Mega Man? yelled.

Mega Man gave a jab to Guts Man's gut, causing him to bend over, giving Mega Man a chance to escape. Heat Man opened fire with a Fireball, striking Mega Man in the back, bowling him over. Mega Man quickly rolled with the blow, getting back up to his feet as fast as he could. He started to run down the corridors of Dr. Wily's lab with the Robot Masters receding behind him except that Centaur Man was gaining on him. Frantically, Mega Man tried to equip his buster.

"Come on! Work!" he thought frantically. He turned a corner and started to run down that way.

**New equipment detected and installed... Unknown weapon... Location: Left Shoulder.**

Mega Man looked to see a gun mounted on his shoulder. He turned around and fired, grazing Centaur Man's side. Centaur Man summoned his bow and fired at Mega Man, barely missing him. Mega Man turned on his heels and ran.

"This is weird. It feels like I'm running faster for some reason." he thought. He looked behind him, only to see that Centaur Man was hot on his heels, only three feet away. It was then that Centaur Man stopped suddenly.

"Ha, ha!" Mega Man thought before he crashed into a wall. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Centaur Man loomed over him with his bow in his hand. "Okay, Mega Man. This is it."

Just as Mega Man resigned himself to his fate, a broom whacked Centaur Man on the cheek.

"Hey!" Roll yelled, "Pick on someone your own size!"

Centaur Man looked at her standing on his back with a puzzled expression. He then attempted to grab her, but it was like a dog chasing his tail. Roll whacked him on the cheek once again

"YOU. LEAVE. MY. BROTHER. ALONE!" she yelled as she unleashed a whacked him with her broom repeatedly.

Centaur Man bucked her off of his back, making her crash into the wall, falling down to where Mega Man was.

Mega Man got up, only to receive a shot from Centaur Man's bow, paralyzing him.

"You're next!" Centaur Man exclaimed to Roll.

"Hey!" Centaur Man looked behind him and saw Protoman with his scarf tucked around his neck, "Didn't your mother ever tell you to never hit a girl?"

"Uh.." Centaur Man looked at Protoman, confounded.

"I thought not." Protoman said and lifted his buster, firing a shot, hitting Centaur Man on the side, knocking him over. Then fire exploded on Protoman, sending him to his hands and knees.

"Protoman!" Mega Man yelled, getting on his feet.

"Hold on!" Heat Man yelled, getting closer to Protoman with a charged Fireball. "If you make any movement, Protoman will be retired."

Protoman looked up at Mega Man with a pained expression. Just then, a targeting reticule popped into Mega Man's vision. He stood looking at it for a moment.

"If you come peaceably, Mega Man, we will not hurt Protoman!" Heat Man yelled.

Mega Man looked at Heat Man.

**Lock established. Fire when ready.**

Mega Man fired, and his shot automatically went towards Heat Man. All's Heat Man could do was watch in horror as the shot came toward him. The shot hit Heat Man straight on the chest, shattering his frame. Mega Man ran over to Protoman. "Protoman! Are you all right?" he asked stooping to help Protoman up.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Protoman said in his usual tone. Protoman looked up. "Boy. They gave you a growth spurt. You're about the size of Guts Man now."

It was only then that Mega Man realized that Protoman looked unusually short.

"Hey! There they are!" a Robot Master yelled, "Get em'!"

Mega Man looked at Protoman, "Let's go!"

"I know the way out. Follow me!" Protoman exclaimed and started to run down a corridor. Mega Man and Roll followed Protoman when Roll asked, "Why aren't the Robot Masters following us anymore?"

"Maybe they're chicken," Protoman replied. He stepped on one of the tiles and he disappeared as it opened under him.

"Protoman!" Mega Man yelled, bending over the hole.

Roll dived down into the hole, vanishing in the darkness.

"Roll!"

Mega Man stayed there for, what seemed to him, an eternity. He eventually noticed that something was coming at him fast and he moved out of the way. A grappling hook latched onto the floor, and heard some struggling.

"Hey! Mega Man! Pull us out, can you?" Roll yelled.

Mega Man commenced to pull on the rope, pulling Roll out as she held onto Protoman who was knocked out cold.

"Roll!" Mega Man exclaimed, seeing that Roll was in ninja attire.

"What?" she asked, turning to him.

"Where'd you get that?"

Roll looked at herself. "Oh, this? I got it from Dr. Light after Dr. Wily kidnaped me. Remember? You, Duo, Protoman, and Bass saved me." She started to gather up her grappling hook.

"Yeah, I remember that."

Roll looked around Mega Man. "We better get going. Those Robot Masters will be on us," she

turned around, "but how will we get past this? There's got to be more trap floors then just this."

Mega Man thought. "What if I sprayed the room with my cannon?"

Roll put her hand on her chin. "Hmm. Sure."

Roll moved out of the way, and then Mega Man commenced to hit the floor with shots from his cannon. One by one, the tile floors started to disappear, all revealing that there was just emptiness underneath. There was a grid of what was left of the tiles, lines that were just one inch thick.

Mega Man fell to his knees. "We're trapped." he began to cry. "This is all my fault!"

"Hey," Roll said, "it's all right. You didn't know. I thought that it would work. Apparently Dr. Wily trapped all of them so that way no one could escape."

They were in the middle of a four way intersection.

"Hey!" Roll exclaimed, "We could try these other corridors!"

She ran over to another corridor. She got almost halfway down it, "Hey! This one's not trapped! Let's go this way!"

Mega Man picked up Protoman, still knocked out cold, and walked over. Roll walked farther ahead when the all of the floor dropped underneath her.

"MEGA!" she yelled in fright.

"Roll!" Mega Man yelled, dropping Protoman and ran on the one inch thick floor that was left until he got to the square where Roll had dropped.

"Roll! Roll!" Mega Man yelled. He could see Roll, but there was something right by her, which he couldn't make out.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" a voice came from behind Mega Man, causing him to look round. Nitro Man, along with other robot masters, was standing there with a grin on his mouth.

"Lost our little Roll, have we?" Nitro Man taunted, "Maybe you should be a little more careful. MAYBE you should have gone out yourself instead of letting your sister do it."

"Be quiet!" Mega Man yelled as he stood up.

"Just turn yourself over, Mega Man, and we'll save Protoman and Roll." Blade Man said, hand outstretched, palm facing upwards.

"_Hey! Was ist los?_" (Hey! What's going on?)

The Robot Masters looked in the direction of the voice.

"Uh oh!" Blade Man said. "Dr. Wily's mad!"

"Why wasn't anyone watching the entrance?" Mega Man? yelled.

"_Warum sind meine Fallen aktiviert?_" (Why are my traps activated?")

Mega Man? fumed with anger. "Let's capture him too!"

Bass stood in front of Dr. Wily, aiming his buster at Mega Man?, "Treten Sie zurüück!" (Stand back!)

"Give it up, Bass. You're outnumbered, and you're not looking too well." Mega Man? said with a grin. With a fast movement, Mega Man? brought his buster to aim and shot at Bass, hitting him in the shoulder.

"_Bass! Warum Sie undankbar Roboter!"_ (Bass! Why you ungrateful robots!) Wily yelled in a fury.

Gyro Man ran from the crowd and made a leap, flying the rest of the way to Wily.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Wily yelled, taking a step back.

Gyro Man landed and grabbed Wily.

"_Lass mich los!_" (Let go of me!) Dr. Wily yelled, struggling to push something on his arm.

"Don't let him get away!" Mega Man? yelled.

Dr. Wily managed to push a button that was part of an electronic device on his arm. Instantly, all of the Robot Masters kneeled on the ground, trembling. Only Mega Man? was still standing.

"What? You would defy me, Mega Man? ?"

"You're not my master anymore, Dr. Wily. I am –" Mega Man? was cut off by a blast that struck him in the side, knocking him down, sparks flying.

"_Was ist passiert?_" (What happened?) Dr. Wily asked in astonishment.

Mega Man? clenched his teeth in pain, "I captured Mega Man... You're the one that has spoiled my victory!" Then his hands unclenched, lying on the ground.

Dr. Wily stood for a moment. "Gyro Man."

"Yes, my lord."

"Disable the trap." Dr. Wily commanded.

"I obey." and Gyro Man left, flying over the broken floor.

"And the rest of you! Go!" Dr. Wily yelled.

The Robot Masters scattered, leaving only Dr. Wily, Bass, and Mega Man.

Dr. Wily's eyes fell on Protoman, who was starting to awaken.

"Protoman..." Dr. Wily said quietly. "You've been a thorn in my side for too long. Bass!"

"Yes, Dr.?"

"_Nehmen Sie ihn aus_. (Take him out.)"

Protoman looked up as Bass leveled his gun, not realizing yet that he was in danger as he was still groggy from being knocked out. A shot rang through the corridor. Protoman realized what was going on and rolled to the side, dodging it. Protoman sprang to his feet, firing a buster shot at Bass. Bass, still suffering from his previous battle, took the blast, blowing his arm off.

Bass yelled in pain, kneeling on the ground, holding the socket where his arm used to be.

"Bass!" Dr. Wily yelled, putting himself in front of Bass.

Protoman leveled his gun. Ready to fire. An image came into his mind. In a dark alley, he was rapidly attacked, causing him to kill a human. Protoman's buster shook, sweat forming on his face.

"Protoman, don't!" Mega Man yelled, running to get to Protoman.

"Come on! Why can't you kill him? He's controlled robots, trying to take over the world!" he thought. With a yell, Protoman fired, barely missing Wily. Protoman collapsed on the ground and hit it with his fist. Mega Man kneeled by Protoman's side, putting his hand on his back. Dr. Wily stood with his mouth gaping. "Who're you?"

Mega Man looked at Dr. Wily. "Don't you recognize me?"

Dr. Wily looked hard at Mega Man. "You're Mega Man, aren't you?" he said slowly.

The floor returned to almost normal, destroyed partially by Mega Man's cannon. Dr. Wily started to walk towards Mega Man.

"I don't believe it. Who built you?"

"Um, Dr. Light." Mega Man said.

"Yes, but how did you get in this form?"

"Your Robot Masters did." Mega Man replied.

Dr. Wily came right up to Mega Man. "Well, looks like they partially followed my blueprints." Dr. Wily turned around and stood by Mega Man's side, putting his hand on Mega Man's back putting something on it, "Tell you what. I'll return you to Dr. Light, and I'll leave you alone."

"Really?" Mega Man asked, eyes lighting up.

"No." Dr. Wily dived away and pressed a button on his electronic device, causing an explosion on Mega Man's back, knocking him over.

"Mega Man!" Protoman yelled, reaching out.

"BWAH! HA, HA, HA, HA!" Dr. Wily laughed with the laugh that was his trademark.

Protoman dashed towards Dr. Wily, ready to pummel him. Dr. Wily pulled out a gun, shooting Protoman square where his mechanical heart was. Protoman grunted and tumbled to the ground.

"I should have shot you... when I had the chance." Protoman gasped.

Dr. Wily grinned. "But you didn't."


	7. The Bad News

It was dark, very dark. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. There's something sticking into my back. Oh, yeah. The spikes that I fell on. Luckily I had managed to kind of soften it.

Roll got up, the trap floor that she had fallen through was closed.

"Good thing I didn't land with my head on the spikes too hard. Hitting it against the wall sure does make it hurt." she thought, rubbing her head which felt like it had a migraine.

"Now, how to get out?" She started to climb up the wall, hitting her head against the bottom of the floor, sending a new wave of pain through her head. She could hear some voices above her, but they were passing. She switched one hand to her Roll Buster, and as soon as the voices had gone far enough, Roll shot several times through the floor until she could get out.

"Hey! What's going on there?" a voice yelled.

"Blast!" Roll whispered. She pulled herself out and started to run down the corridor that Protoman had before been leading them through. The floor was still scorched by Mega Man's cannon, with Mega Man still lying on the ground. She picked him up, but couldn't drag him far.

"Hey!"

Roll looked behind her to see Bass dashing towards her. She dropped Mega Man and drew three shurikens. "Stay back!" she warned.

Bass stopped. "Hey, hey! I just want to help you!"

Roll lowered her shurikens. "You do? But I thought you hated Mega Man?"

"I do, but I love fighting that kid."

Roll mulled this over in her head for a little. "All right," she said, keeping her shurikens in her hand, ready to throw them.

Bass walked over, and picked up Mega Man. "Whew! This guy's heavy!"

"Bass!" Roll yelled.

Bass turned around where Treble was rushing down the corridor to attack Roll.

"Hey! Treble! Down!"

Treble changed direction and padded over to Bass.

"Oh, good dog! Hey, Treble, help me out here."

Treble growled, revealing his hackles.

"Treble," Bass said with a tone that said "You'll be in trouble."

Bass set Mega Man on Treble's back, "All right. Let's get going!"

Roll tied Mega Man to Treble's back using the rope of her grappling hook. Bass, Treble, and Roll started to run, encountering no resistance.

"This isn't right," Bass thought, "They should have attacked us by now."

Out of the corner of his eye, Bass saw Time Man lunge at him. He quickly stopped and executed a flying kick, sending Time Man flying into the air. Roll stopped and looked behind her at Bass.

Bass looked back at her. "GO!" he yelled, taking what looked to be a minute hand striking him in the arm.

Roll started to run towards Bass, but he yelled, "HEY! Treble needs SOMEONE to guide him to Dr. Light's place!" knocking down Time Man with a roundhouse kick.

Treble stood waiting for Roll. Roll took one last look at Bass and ran off with Treble.

Bass focused on his opponent. "So," he asked casually while dodging a second hand, "do you like girls?"

"Can it, Bass!" Time Man yelled back.

"If you insist," Bass replied and commenced to pummel Time Man and followed with a spinning kick, knocking Time Man into a wall, where he slumped over.

"Ooh. You're good, Bass, I'll admit," Time Man looked up, "but you can do nothing if you can't react fast enough."

Bass fired at Time Man, but Time Man dodged unnaturally quick. Bass tried to target Time Man, but received a flurry of second and minute hands everywhere.

"What's the matter, Bass?" Time Man laughed, "Too slow?"

Bass crumbled to his knees, system blaring about the damage that he just took.

"No, need to live to defeat Mega Man." Bass thought and rose again, taking a minute hand to the chest. His eyes widened, and started to gasp in pain.

"Looks like you're not the most powerful robot in the world, Bass," Time Man grinned and gave him a kick, sending Bass to the ground. "This time, I'll be Dr. Wily's favorite."

Bass lifted his buster, quicker than he had ever before and fired, sending a shot through Time Man's stomach.

"Nope," Bass smiled painfully, "none of us will be. At least I like a girl."

* * *

><p>Guts Man came out from his hiding place around the corner. "I'm gonna tell Dr. Wily what Bass was doing."<p>

Guts Man got Dr. Wily and brought them to where Time Man and Bass were lying.

Dr. Wily scowled, "Bass, you've worn out my patience. You're retired. Guts Man, you bring Time Man into my lab."

"Yes, Doctor."


	8. Prologue

Roll stumbled into Dr. Light's lab, where Dr. Light was looking at the equipment he had gotten.

Dr. Light turned around. "Roll! Why are you in your combat suit?" he said while hurrying over to her. "What happened?"

Treble padded into the room, still carrying Mega Man on his back.

Dr. Light took one look at the helmet and knew who it was, "Oh, Mega Man," he whispered as he set Roll down. He unfastened the ropes that bound him and laid him on his lab table, revealing the hole that was in his back. Dr. Light sighed. He went to a filing cabinet and pulled out a blueprint. Roll left the room feeling hollow inside and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Dr. Wily had Protoman up against a wall, deciding what to do with him. "I know! I'll use my second blueprint and build it using parts from Protoman, but I'll improve him, and I'll name him... He must defeat potential, he must defeat Mega Man... Protoman! Your name will be... Zero!"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Years Later:<strong>

Dr. Light stood in his laboratory, hunched over by the doings of time, looking over his latest creation. "I'm sorry, Mega, but I couldn't repair your memory. It was fried, but I can honor you with this new robot that has, at least, your goodness." He straightened himself. "Now, X, you must save the world from those who would destroy it."

Roll walked over to Dr. Light. Dr. Light saw her and smiled, "Ah, Roll." he got down on his knee to look her in the eyes while holding her shoulders. Big tears were visible on her face. "Don't worry. If you want, I could prolong your life by giving you a new body."

Roll looked down. "That is what I would like, if you desire."

Dr. Light brushed some hair that was over Roll's eyes away and said, "Oh, Roll. You have been one of the greatest joys in my life."

Roll looked up, "Oh, Doctor!" she exclaimed and gave him a hug. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, my daughter." Dr. Light stood up. "Well, if you're going to see Mega Man in the future, I better get you a new body!"

Roll clapped her hands and skipped out the door.

Dr. Light pulled out another blueprint and started to design the next Roll.


End file.
